Want to apply the most natural looking finsih possible

[Scott Cenicola]

I have some live oak slabs that I am finishing up for sofa table tops and possibly coffee tables in the future. I have sampled natural stain an d Danish oil, but both darken the wood more than I prefer. I was thinking of just going with 2 coats of sanding sealer, and then water based poly or perhaps sanding sealer and paste wax. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Jamie Buxton]

Use a satin top coat. Natural wood isn't shiny.

And don't put many coats on. The more finish you put on, the more they fill the pores.

[John TenEyck]

I wouldn't use wax as the top coat. It might be OK for a sofa table, but not for a coffee table if you plan to set drinks on it, even occasionally. If both natural stain and Danish oil darken the wood too much then you probably don't want to use any solvent based product because they all will do that more or less. When you wipe the slab with DNA that's about what it will look like with a solvent based top coat. So, if that's too dark you should go with your approach of using water based products. Some water based sanding sealers (Minwax being one of them) contain a dye that mimics what a solvent based product looks like, so beware. The good news is many (most, I think) water based topcoats are self sealing and many are water clear. I really like General Finishes Enduro Clear Poly. It's absolutely clear and contains an excellent UV package that prevents both the finish and wood underneath from aging for many years.

John

[David Hawxhurst]

If both natural stain and Danish oil darken the wood too much then you probably don't want to use any solvent based product because they all will do that more or less. When you wipe the slab with DNA that's about what it will look like with a solvent based top coat. So, if that's too dark you should go with your approach of using water based products.

John

I have found oil based products darken the wood. All the solvent based products that I've tried have been water clear (they are even clear in the can). there are tinted solvent based stuff out there as well as colored. the few waterborne products that i've tried have been rated as water clear, there are some out there that are supposed to mimic oil based products as well (haven't tried them).

[Steve Schoene]

First, skip the sanding sealer. In general, it plays no role except speeding up the process a bit if you are a commercial operation. But there is a cost to that, it reduces durability, particularly the moisture resistance. (Exception, some high tech finishes do specify a specific high tech sealer.)

Your best finish would be a waterborne acrylic in a water clear version. (Some waterborne finishes add some color to help them look more like the oil based finishes.)

I also advise skipping the wax. It mostly creates extra work, with very little benefit. It's effects are cosmetic, not significant increased durability.